The Pune district administration will foot the medical bill of COVID-19 patients from rural areas of the district who are staying in the jurisdiction of Pune, Dehu and Khadki cantonment boards and availing treatment at private hospitals. Pune Collector Naval Kishore Ram on Monday allocated Rs 5 crore from the District Planning Committee (DCC) budget for this purpose.

The DCC’s allocation will benefit those patients who neither have personal insurance nor are covered under the Pradhan Manti Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY) and Mahatma Phule Jan Arogya Yojana (MPJAY).

Divisional Commissioner appeals to doctors

Pune Divisional Commissioner Deepak Mhaisekar held a meeting with doctors from various private hospitals and appealed to them to come forward and contribute to the anti-coronavirus efforts.

Mhaisekar said the Pune Municipal Corporation has signed contracts with two hospitals in the city which will grant them funds under various government schemes while the remainder will be footed by the PMC. He added that more such contracts will be signed.

Four officers nominated for COVID-19 fight

Four senior administrative officers, Saurabh Rao (Sugar commissioner), Anil Kawade (State Co-operatives Commissioner), Sachindra Pratapsingh (Animal Husbandary Commissioner) and Kaustubh Divegaonkar (Director, Ground Water Survey) have been nominated to the team that is involved in the anti-pandemic fight.

Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who is also Pune District’s guardian minister, made these appointments directing the officers to work with officials working to contain the spread of coronavirus in the city. Rao has previously served as Pune Collector as well as Municipal Commissioner for PMC. Kavade has been the Chief Executive Officer, Pune Zilla Parishad.